MEDI 311 – FILM ABOUT MEDIA FILM DIARY #8
Trevor Olafson
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
While viewing this film I found that throughout I was continually drawn closer to identifying with Hugo Chavez and his supporters as they are portrayed in what I feel is one of the best examples of Cinema Verite that I have seen to date. The film-makers accidental presence during the short-lived attempted coup of the Chavez government in April of 2002 gives it a very succinct and thus memorable, easily documented time line of the events as they occurred; since it took place over a period of only 48 hours, unlike other films documenting events which occurred during a relatively much longer span of time.
The film at several points does take us into the inner sanctum of Chavez and exposes what seems to be a completely genuine, thoughtful and fair minded man. This seems very apparent during one interview with Chavez in which he explains how as a young man he was compelled to investigate the allegations of murder against his grandfather – made by Chavez’s own mother. He is incredibly compelling as a story teller while he describes his journey of discovery into the past of his grandfather, and how he was not a murderer, but a fighter; and how Chavez himself became a fighter in the revolution because of how this knowledge changed him. One can feel a sense of the true pride and conviction in his beliefs when hearing the man speak so intimately on film.
Throughout as in the beginning of the film Chavez is shown to be a man of the people. First shown in the parade and his opening address in which tells his followers that he would “go to the gates of hell to defend them”. We see the use of mainstream television from the US Venezuelan television stations and how they obfuscate and confuse the real issues that Chavez is trying to address. We are shown talking heads giving jumbled explanations of what the US is concerned about with the Chavez government. The film maker then explains to us his interest and reasons for being in Venezuela to film Chavez, who luckily is granted total access starting with the presidential plane, taking us with him as he films the first of many daily activities of Chavez and his aides.
In the film we are shown that support for Chavez came from a huge portion of the population, 80%; the other 20% of the elites were in control and reaping the benefits of the countries wealth. Predictably they are against Chavez and rally against him calling his supporters terrorists and describing Chavez on television as a mentally ill, sexually deviant dictator. He clearly is not and his speeches to the people continually speak to the oil profits that the campensinos have never received and how he wants to change it through the constitution through which all of the people have rights that they need to be aware of. His speeches also contained messages about the importance of education and in the film we are shown how he makes himself accessible to the people through a weekly call in radio show called ‘Allo Presidente’, as well as responding to every single note or letter that is sent to him with requests for help. Chavez faced powerful enemies throughout his 3 year term up to this point but he had the loyalty of the troops as he was in the military as a commandeer and knew instinctively how tho gain the loyalty of his troops.
The filmmaker shows us how well Chavez understood how important the media was to his government and its’ support by the people. The five private media outlets were railing against him and his policies, Chavez used his only channel of addressing the people which was the state run Channel 8. His impassioned response to the people that he is standing against the US and Venezuelan oil interests as a matter of principle. He explains in his speech that he is against terrorism, but does not support it Carte Blanche as he show photographs of dead Afghan children, the result of US bombing. I felt sorry for the victims in the photos and Chavez at this point – here is a feeling person truly trying to give peace and prosperity to his people and having to fight off the US Military/Media complex that are trying undermine both in Venezuela.
The coup unfolds and Chavez supporters rally to support him at the presidential palace, however a counter march by a much smaller group move towards the palace; the army is used as a buffer between the two factions until shooting starts and several people within the Chavez group are killed or injured. As panic ensues we see people from the Chavez side shooting back with pistols at rooftop or balcony positions they believe the shots are coming from. What was then incredible was how the footage was manipulated through editing to look like these people who were defending themselves were actually shooting into a crowd of unarmed Chavez protestors, the camera angle did not show that the street below was actually empty at this time – they further twisted the scenario by blaming the deaths on Chavez and calling for his immediate removal. I definitely felt a sense of confusion as well as the apprehension of the people within the palace, becoming even more palpable as first the main state television and then remote stations signals are cut off. Finally the palace is surrounded and Chavez receives the ultimatum to give up or be bombed, he agrees to be leave but not step down to avoid bloodshed, he is a given an emotional farewell by his staff as he is led away at the end of this powerful scene. The next day, even as the new officials swear themselves into office word has gotten back to the people that Chavez did not resign but was secretly being held captive. Their righteous indignation and demands that Chavez be returned to them as President climaxes with the secret plan carried out by the palace guard to retake it and arrest the coup organizers – finally leading to the cathartic return of Hugo Chavez to his rightful place as leader of the people of Venezuela.
The films title is itself the statement being made – given the way in which this event was hidden and minimized in US and Venezuelan television markets. It also alludes to the power that mainstream media wields when it wants to build up or tear down governments. By using manipulated images and omitting events that would provide context rather than being used to obfuscate the truth, it show us just how vulnerable we all are to being lied to by government when we willingly accept whatever version of it is spun – as long as it comes through the television. The filmmakers have attempted to provide us with this insight with the systematic filming and breakdown of these events as they unfolded and fill in possible knowledge gaps that we as viewers may suffer from – induced by the mainstream media.
I feel that this film falls into a category unto itself in that it exposes the corruption and manipulation of opinion and ultimately behaviours that we as societies impose on ourselves; through our own sometimes wilfully induced ignorance as to the way things really are, and that everything we see on television is deigned to illicit the correct response by the viewer, Unfortunately this type of film is not made more often as it rates extremely high in my opinion as a benchmark example of committed independent documentary film-making for these very important, high-level reasons.
